How to select your first rebreather....

[Divetech Cayman]

The topic of choosing one’s first rebreather is always an interesting and challenging one. It’s a controversial topic to say the least. Rebreather divers and instructors have great enthusiasm for the product they own or instruct on. The debates that rage on about which rebreather is ‘the best’ sometimes have the passion of a political or religious argument. I am no different in this regard.

I’ve been involved with rebreathers professionally for 13 years. I was lucky enough to work for a dive shop whose owner was an early adopter of rebreather diving. It was 2006 in Pompano Beach, Florida, where I was first exposed to the technology, and then soon after was certified to dive one, and purchased my first unit.

To be very clear, this article is not about my views on which rebreather you should buy. It is however, about how your should approach the process of choosing one. Continue reading....

 

[michael-fisch]

Currently have 4 working rebreathers - one of which being an O2 Sub/Tank/Helicopter escape device doesn't get used often. Another, with an axial scrubber, although well loved by many cave divers has, for me, an unacceptable work of breathing as long as my shoulders aren't 8" above my butt. My best loved rebreather, with a radial scrubber is great and breaths very well in all positions but weighs 53Kg in ready to dive condition.
My bailout rebreather is completely selfcontained, and carried as if it were a stage, work of breathing is better than my axial scrubber rebreather but not as good in all positions as my main radial scrubber rebreather. When I'm using it I need to pay careful attention to the PO2 since it is a completely manual rebreather without nozzle or needlevalve but has MAVs for diluent and O2 + an ADV. Although I can hand it off to a buddy easily, I'll hope that I spent 5 minutes explaining it to the buddy before the dive and have a chance to observe and controll the buddy using it untill the buddy is out of the water.
Now with 4 working rebreathers the only thing I'm sure of is that I don't yet have the optimal, for me, rebreather.

If you're just starting out, get any used and cheap rebreather, dive the hell out of it for a couple of years untill you know exactly what you want. Then buy what you want, USED and cheap and dive the hell out of that one for a while, since 2 years down the road you'll surely find another rebreather that suits you better.

Michael

 

[BushCraft]

Great, honest article. Thanks Tony.

 

[Superlyte27]

Finally an article in CCR I can get behind. I'm certified on 6 or 7 rebreathers. I own 5. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to all of them. I certainly have my favorite.

Go with an instructor with lots of knowledge on many rebreathers. And if you can, an instructor who doesn't need the money so bad that he has to steer you into one CCR to put food on his table.

 

[Geo7]

Thanks, I am sure this will be helpful to many divers. I also found this article that contains some thoughts on features to consider: A survival guide to rebreather diving. (I am not afiliated with the author etc.).

 

[Angelo Farina]

In 1975, during my 9-months-long OW course, I was trained for several months using a CC pure-oxygen rebreather, called ARO. Only after being quite expert in it, we were given access to open-circuit systems, with twin cylinders of compressed air and twin regulators (and no BCD).
I am still convinced that an ARO is the best "first rebreather". Not to be used for real diving (only military incursors, such as Navy Seals, use it yet), but it is perfect for understanding the dangers and the behaviour of a CC rebreather.
Our AROs were "pendular", single hose, hence you had to learn to breath in a very peculiar way (very long exhalations and inhalations, and a long pause with lungs full of oxygen). Not very practical, but very didactical.
And our rebreathers had no automatic gas injection, you had to act manually on the bypass for adding oxygen to the bladder.
An ARO in inexpensive, and very compact (smaller than a BCD, and with a 1-liter oxygen bottle weights less than 5 kg). So at the time it was considered the ideal tool for training students at diving schools. After 4 months of ARO, more than half of the students had left the course, so the number of twin air cylinders and twin complete regulators required for the following part of the course could be smaller, saving some money for the diving club organizing the course.
I understand that nowadays all this is truly obsolete: but I am still convinced that this is the best wait to enter the world of rebreathers, and that only after this first stage of experiences one can choose a "true", modern rebreather capable of going deeper than 10 meters...
Here in Italy, ARO courses are yet commonly offered by many diving schools!

 

[FreeFlyFreak]

Thanks, I am sure this will be helpful to many divers. I also found this article that contains some thoughts on features to consider: A survival guide to rebreather diving. (I am not afiliated with the author etc.).

That is an excellent read, Thanks for posting it.

 

[rjack321]

In 1975, during my 9-months-long OW course, I was trained for several months using a CC pure-oxygen rebreather, called ARO. Only after being quite expert in it, we were given access to open-circuit systems, with twin cylinders of compressed air and twin regulators (and no BCD).
I am still convinced that an ARO is the best "first rebreather". Not to be used for real diving (only military incursors, such as Navy Seals, use it yet), but it is perfect for understanding the dangers and the behaviour of a CC rebreather.
Our AROs were "pendular", single hose, hence you had to learn to breath in a very peculiar way (very long exhalations and inhalations, and a long pause with lungs full of oxygen). Not very practical, but very didactical.
And our rebreathers had no automatic gas injection, you had to act manually on the bypass for adding oxygen to the bladder.
An ARO in inexpensive, and very compact (smaller than a BCD, and with a 1-liter oxygen bottle weights less than 5 kg). So at the time it was considered the ideal tool for training students at diving schools. After 4 months of ARO, more than half of the students had left the course, so the number of twin air cylinders and twin complete regulators required for the following part of the course could be smaller, saving some money for the diving club organizing the course.
I understand that nowadays all this is truly obsolete: but I am still convinced that this is the best wait to enter the world of rebreathers, and that only after this first stage of experiences one can choose a "true", modern rebreather capable of going deeper than 10 meters...
Here in Italy, ARO courses are yet commonly offered by many diving schools!

Do you have any pictures of this unit? The only pictures I can find online are from the 1930s and 1940s

 

[Angelo Farina]

Do you have any pictures of this unit? The only pictures I can find online are from the 1930s and 1940s

This was the Cressi mod. 57b ARO I was using back in 1975-1980:

CRESSI SUB Aro 57 B rebreather | BluTimeScubaHistory

And this is its latest incarnation, now manufactured by SIEL (OMG):

SIEL Advanced Sea System

 

[Reku]

I've currently got a few units - Prism 1, KISS sidekick, kiss gem (scr not ccr convert), inspo classic.

P1 for deep wrecks here in the great lakes where I don't want to dive sidemount
SK for bailout bob and sidemount only caves
Gem for when there is no 100% o2 or no ccr support but they have nitrox, I've also successfully used it as a deco breather.

inspo classic is just a spare unit.

I've been diving ccr for a long time and anytime I picked up a new unit was because I had a specific use case. I've had mk15.5s and other weirder units in the past but over the last few years I've been trying to get down to simple design and less electronics.

I'm just not interested in dealing with bugs in software and strange solenoid issues even if they are rare at this point.

my first unit was a sidemount prism someone had laying around. I used it for cave exploration until I needed something else. I also had an OMG o2 chest mount breather I found in a garage sale. It got stolen out of my car - I miss it.

I would suggest trying all kinds of units out - demo everything you can. You're first unit will probably not be your last. Once you're hooked you're hooked

I second the idea of going used on a unit and just dive it into the ground until you find a need for something else.

It appears that many of us have multiple units - very cool. I feel better about my addiction now.